Al Pacino reveals he was nearly fired from The God One week into filming. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, with a script he co-wrote with Mario Puzo based on his novel of the same name, the 1972 film follows the Corleone crime family, led by patriarch Don Vito, focusing on his youngest son, Michael Corleone, From 1945 to 1955 as he evolves from a reluctant outsider to a ruthless mafia boss. The God The cast includes Al Pacino as Michael Corleone alongside Marlon Brando, James Caan, Robert Duvall and Diane Keaton.
In his new memoirs Sonny Boy (via Entertainment Weekly), Al Pacino revealed that he was almost fired from The God by Francis Ford Coppola about a week in filming. The actor recalls that the director told him about “A A week and a half“in shooting,”You know how much you mean to me, how much faith I had in youCoppola added,Well, you’re deliveringRead a portion of Pacino’s comments below:
I felt that one in the pit of my stomach. That’s when it finally hit me that my job was on the line. I said to Francis, “What are we doing here?” He said, “I put together rushes of what we’ve already shot. Why don’t you watch it yourself? Because I don’t think it works, you don’t work.” Paramount did not want to play Michael Corleone. They wanted Jack Nicholson, they wanted Robert Redford. They wanted Warren Beatty or Ryan O’Neal.
It was impossible for the impact of the role to come through. My interpretation of Michael was like planting a garden; It would take a certain amount of time in the story for the flowers to grow…. Back in Hollywood, Paramount started looking at the film that Francis had shot, and they asked again if I was the right actor for the story. Part. I thought to myself, “I don’t think there is anything spectacular here.”
The actor’s issues continued well into production
As one of the most famous and influential films of all time, the issues surrounding the production of The GodIncluding Pacino’s casting, are well-documented and even dramatized in the Paramount + series The option. Coppola wanted Pacino because he wanted an unknown Italian-American actor for the part of Michael Corleone. Top executives thought Pacino was too short And wanted another actor like James Caan, who originally auditioned for and landed the role of Michael. However, Coppola continued to advocate for Pacino, and executives eventually agreed under the condition that Caan play Sonny Corleone instead.
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Although the issues with his casting are known, Pacino’s comments in his new memoir reveal more about how these issues continued well into filming. Pacino came from a background in method acting and found it difficult to immerse himself in the character of Michael Corleone as quickly as Coppola and the shooting schedule required. This led to some creative clashes, but by restructuring the shooting schedule and Pacino adopting a different approach to use his signature intensity, the issues were eventually resolved.
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The trouble was good
While the two were able to work out their creative differences, Coppola was still frustrated by Pacino’s unconventional and sometimes roundabout method of acting. However, the two built enough of a connection that alleviated Coppola’s concerns. The entire weight of The God‘s story rested on Pacino’s shoulders, and without his performance, it wouldn’t be the film it is today. Despite the many issues during casting and filming, The God catapulted Pacino from relative obscurity and paved the way for his unique and unparalleled career in Hollywood.
Source: Sonny Boy (by EW)